Until now, everything was clear about the tragedy of Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The volcano first spewed a wave of volcanic ash and pumice, followed by pyroclastic flows down the volcano - which the inhabitants of Pompeii actually they could not survive.
Based on the two victims found, the researchers established through forensic medical expertise that they must have initially survived the disaster, but then died in the earthquake, writes ARD. The fact that Pompeii was also affected by earthquakes was not proven until now. The study is by the famous Italian Institute for Geophysics, Volcanoes and Earthquakes INGV.
New revelations
The investigation of the INGV researchers resembles a detective story. It is based on the excavation of two rooms in a central block of houses in Pompeii. The place is known as the "home of the chaste lovers" because a fresco depicting two people kissing was discovered there.
During the excavation of these rooms, archaeologists discovered the remains of the skeletons of two men. They were hiding in a corner under a collapsed wall. To investigate the cause of the men's death, the researchers acted as if they were analyzing a crime scene, ARD said, citing a publication in the journal "Frontiers in Earth Science”, where the study was published.
On careful examination of the deposits, the team of researchers discovered that the human remains were lying on a layer of pumice stone that had penetrated the house through the window. Therefore, the men must have survived the initial phase of the outbreak and then sought refuge in the room. Upon careful examination, the team of researchers discovered that the human remains were lying on a layer of pumice stone that had penetrated the house through the window. Therefore, the men must have survived the initial phase of the disaster and then sought refuge in the room.
No signs of suffocation or burns were found on the skeletons, which would indicate death caused by pyroclastic gas and ash flows from the volcano. However, both of them had very serious injuries, similar to those that people still suffer today in earthquakes, ARD explains. According to the research team's analysis, one of the two men, aged around 50, probably died on the spot when the walls of the room collapsed as a result of the earthquake.
Evidence of an earthquake in Pompeii
The team also discovers that the house was left intact when the volcano erupted and engulfed Pompeii. The position of the walls also indicates that they could not have been demolished by the pyroclastic flows, which were moving at speeds of up to 700 km/h. Thus, the last minutes of the two men provide the first direct evidence that the eruption of Vesuvius was accompanied by earthquakes.
So far, there is only one eyewitness account of the famous volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii. It is from Pliny the Younger, who was across the Bay of Naples almost 2,000 years ago. Although he wrote that the earth began to shake after the first eruption, no clear signs of an earthquake had yet been found in the ruins of Pompeii.